The Lebanese Loop

UPDATE: I've changed this from True to Unknown as there appears to
be some dispute as to whether this is a real scam. It appear to be so, in the
US, however in the UK the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has
changed their stance on this and are now suggesting it is a hoax (I spent over
an hour with them on the phone trying to get a sensible answer out of
them as to why they were now calling it a hoax, when before they were treating
it as a genuine scam).

Certainly the evidence in the US is very indicative that this is a tried
and trusted scam and therefore for those that live in the US it should be
considered as at least partially true, but in the UK it is probably false. If
you want the latest findings from the ACPO then you can e-mail them at: info@acpo.police.uk

This is an urban legend and a chain e-mail which has been circulating on
the Internet for several years. As with some Urban Legends, there is a grain
of truth hidden somewhere in the concocted story. This UL follows the usual
rules to make it timeless, no way to verify the facts, no names, no dates, no
places mentioned, it is left for you to fill in the blanks and jump to the
conclusion that it is 'all' true.

This is a recent note indicating a 'alleged new scam'. In fact this is a
relatively 'old' scam (known as the Lebanese Loop) that has been seen in the
US and elsewhere. This latest version claims to be from the Halifax Building
Society. However, there is no such warning on the Halifax web site, so someone
is just using the Halifax name to try and add some credence to this rare scam
so that recipients will be more willing to send it on.

The latest ATM scam
involves thieves putting a thin, clear, rigid plastic 'sleeve' into
the ATM card slot. When you insert your card, the machine can't read
the strip, so it keeps asking you to re-enter your PIN number.

Meanwhile, someone behind you watches as
you tap in your number. Eventually you give up, thinking the machine has
swallowed your card and you walk away. The thieves then remove the plastic
sleeve complete with card, and empty your account. The way to avoid
this is to run your finger along the card slot before you put your card
in. The sleeve has a couple of tiny prongs that the thieves need to
get the sleeve out of the slot, and you'll be able to feel them.
The police would like as many people as possible to be aware of
this scam, so pass this on to your friends.